Authorities in Central American country have been rounding up suspected gang members since March, following the killing of 87 people in gang-related violence.
Wave of detentions is unprecedented in the Central American country that has suffered decades of violent crime driven by powerful gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18.
President Nayib Bukele says "war against gangs" will continue, a month after he invoked emergency powers to suspend some constitutional rights to crackdown on gangs engaged in drug trafficking and extortion.
The reform to the penal code applies to those who "reproduce and transmit messages or communications originating or allegedly originating from" the criminal groups.
El Salvadoran lawmakers approve a state of emergency after top gang leaders were arrested over a wave of recent bloodshed, the president of the country's Legislative Assembly said.
From El Salvador adopting Bitcoin as legal tender to a $69 million NFT being sold, 2021 was a singular year for the industry.
President Bukele plans to build the world’s first ‘Bitcoin City’ using bitcoin-backed bonds, which will rely on betting big on the cryptocurrency’s future.
The city will be circular, with an airport, residential and commercial areas, and feature a central plaza designed to look like a bitcoin symbol from the air.
Thousands of people in El Salvador took to the streets on Sunday to air a range of complaints against President Nayib Bukele, from adopting bitcoin as legal tender to firing Supreme Court judges, viewed by critics as a power grab.
The Bukele government believes bitcoin can provide monetary sovereignty and financial inclusion to millions. But many Salvadorians remain skeptical about the move.
The law would create mechanisms to help Salvadorans, especially small businesses, quickly convert payments they receive in bitcoins into dollars.
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said that he will send a bill to Congress next week to make bitcoin legal tender in the Central American nation, touting its potential to help Salvadorans living abroad send remittances home.
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